Genesis Chapter 1
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2
And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3
And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4
And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8
And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9
And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10
And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
11
And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed,
12
and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so.
13
And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good.
14
And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
15
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:
16
and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
17
And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night:
18
he made the stars also.
19
And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth,
20
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
21
And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
22
And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
23
And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that moveth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind: and God saw that it was good.
24
And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.
25
And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
26
And God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind: and it was so.
27
And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth upon the ground after its kind: and God saw that it was good.
28
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
29
And God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
30
And God blessed them: and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
31
And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for food:
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
1
In the beginningGod created the heavens and the earth.
2
And the earth was waste and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit ofGod was hovering over the face of the waters.
3
AndGod said, Let there be light. And there was light.
4
AndGod saw the light that it was good; andGod divided between the light and the darkness.
5
AndGod called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.
6
AndGod said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it be a division between waters and waters.
7
AndGod made the expanse, and divided between the waters that are under the expanse and the waters that are above the expanse; and it was so.
8
AndGod called the expanse Heavens. And there was evening, and there was morning — a second day.
9
AndGod said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together to one place, and let the dry [land] appear. And it was so.
10
AndGod called the dry [land] Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. AndGod saw that it was good.
11
AndGod said, Let the earth cause grass to spring up, herb producing seed, fruit-trees yielding fruit after their kind, the seed of which is in them, on the earth. And it was so.
12
And the earth brought forth grass, herb producing seed after its kind, and trees yielding fruit, the seed of which is in them, after their kind. AndGod saw that it was good.
13
And there was evening, and there was morning — a third day.
14
AndGod said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
15
and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth. And it was so.
16
AndGod made the two great lights, the great light to rule the day, and the small light to rule the night, — and the stars.
17
AndGod set them in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth,
18
and to rule during the day and during the night, and to divide between the light and the darkness. AndGod saw that it was good.
19
And there was evening, and there was morning — a fourth day.
20
AndGod said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living souls, and let fowl fly above the earth in the expanse of the heavens.
21
AndGod created the great sea monsters, and every living soul that moves with which the waters swarm, after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind. AndGod saw that it was good.
22
AndGod blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply on the earth.
23
And there was evening, and there was morning — a fifth day.
24
AndGod said, Let the earth bring forth living souls after their kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth, after their kind. And it was so.
25
AndGod made the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground after its kind. AndGod saw that it was good.
26
AndGod said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over the cattle, and over the whole earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth on the earth.
27
AndGod created Man in his image, in the image ofGod created he him; male and female created he them.
28
AndGod blessed them; andGod said to them, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heavens, and over every animal that moveth on the earth.
29
AndGod said, Behold, I have given you every herb producing seed that is on the whole earth, and every tree in which is the fruit of a tree producing seed: it shall be food for you;
30
and to every animal of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to everything that creepeth on the earth, in which is a living soul, every green herb for food. And it was so.
31
AndGod saw everything that he had made, and behold it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth.
2
But the earth was unsightly and unfurnished, and darkness was over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water.
3
And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.
4
And God saw the light that it was good, and God divided between the light and the darkness.
5
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night, and there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be a division between water and water, and it was so.
7
And God made the firmament, and God divided between the water which was under the firmament and the water which was above the firmament.
8
And God called the firmament Heaven, and God saw that it was good, and there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9
And God said, Let the water which is under the heaven be collected into one place, and let the dry land appear, and it was so. And the water which was under the heaven was collected into its places, and the dry land appeared.
10
And God called the dry land Earth, and the gatherings of the waters he called Seas, and God saw that it was good.
11
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit-tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and it was so.
12
And the earth brought forth the herb of grass bearing seed according to its kind and according to its likeness, and the fruit tree bearing fruit whose seed is in it, according to its kind on the earth, and God saw that it was good.
13
And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
14
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, to divide between day and night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and for years.
15
And let them be for light in the firmament of the heaven, so as to shine upon the earth, and it was so.
16
And God made the two great lights, the greater light for regulating the day and the lesser light for regulating the night, the stars also.
17
And God placed them in the firmament of the heaven, so as to shine upon the earth,
18
and to regulate day and night, and to divide between the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19
And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20
And God said, Let the waters bring forth reptiles having life, and winged creatures flying above the earth in the firmament of heaven, and it was so.
21
And God made great whales, and every living reptile, which the waters brought forth according to their kinds, and every creature that flies with wings according to its kind, and God saw that they were good.
22
And God blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the creatures that fly be multiplied on the earth.
23
And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind, quadrupeds and reptiles and wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and it was so.
25
And God made the wild beasts of the earth according to their kind, and cattle according to their kind, and all the reptiles of the earth according to their kind, and God saw that they were good.
26
And God said, Let us make man according to our image and likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the flying creatures of heaven, and over the cattle and all the earth, and over all the reptiles that creep on the earth.
27
And God made man, according to the image of God he made him, male and female he made them.
28
And God blessed them, saying, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the seas and flying creatures of heaven, and all the cattle and all the earth, and all the reptiles that creep on the earth.
29
And God said, Behold I have given to you every seed-bearing herb sowing seed which is upon all the earth, and every tree which has in itself the fruit of seed that is sown, to you it shall be for food.
30
And to all the wild beasts of the earth, and to all the flying creatures of heaven, and to every reptile creeping on the earth, which has in itself the breath of life, even every green plant for food; and it was so.
31
And God saw all the things that he had made, and, behold, they were very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
1
In principio creavit Deus cælum, et terram.
2
Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebræ erant super faciem abyssi: et Spiritus Dei ferebatur super aquas.
3
Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux.
4
Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona: et divisit lucem a tenebris.
5
Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem: factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus.
6
Dixit quoque Deus: Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum: et dividat aquas ab aquis.
7
Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas, quæ erant sub firmamento, ab his, quæ erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita.
8
Vocavitque Deus firmamentum, Cælum: et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus.
9
Dixit vero Deus: Congregentur aquæ, quæ sub cælo sunt, in locum unum: et appareat arida. Et factum est ita.
10
Et vocavit Deus aridam, Terram, congregationesque aquarum appellavit Maria. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
11
Et ait: Germinet terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen, et lignum pomiferum faciens fructum iuxta genus suum, cuius semen in semetipso sit super terram. Et factum est ita.
12
Et protulit terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen iuxta genus suum, lignumque faciens fructum, et habens unumquodque sementem secundum speciem suam. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
13
Et factum est vespere et mane, dies tertius.
14
Dixit autem Deus: Fiant luminaria in firmamento cæli, et dividant diem ac noctem, et sint in signa et tempora, et dies et annos:
15
ut luceant in firmamento cæli, et illuminent terram. Et factum est ita.
16
Fecitque Deus duo luminaria magna: luminare maius, ut præesset diei: et luminare minus, ut præesset nocti: et stellas.
17
Et posuit eas in firmamento cæli, ut lucerent super terram,
18
et præessent diei ac nocti, et dividerent lucem ac tenebras. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
19
Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quartus.
20
Dixit etiam Deus: Producant aquæ reptile animæ viventis, et volatile super terram sub firmamento cæli.
21
Creavitque Deus Cete grandia, et omnem animam viventem atque motabilem, quam produxerant aquæ in species suas, et omne volatile secundum genus suum. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
22
Benedixitque eis, dicens: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete aquas maris: avesque multiplicentur super terram.
23
Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quintus.
24
Dixit quoque Deus: Producat terra animam viventem in genere suo, iumenta, et reptilia, et bestias terræ secundum species suas. Factumque est ita.
25
Et fecit Deus bestias terræ iuxta species suas, et iumenta, et omne reptile terræ in genere suo. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum,
26
et ait: Faciamus Hominem ad imaginem, et similitudinem nostram: et præsit piscibus maris, et volatilibus cæli, et bestiis, universæque terræ, omnique reptili, quod movetur in terra.
27
Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem suam: ad imaginem Dei creavit illum, masculum et feminam creavit eos.
28
Benedixitque illis Deus, et ait: Crescite et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subiicite eam, et dominamini piscibus maris, et volatilibus cæli, et universis animantibus, quæ moventur super terram.
29
Dixitque Deus: Ecce dedi vobis omnem herbam afferentem semen super terram, et universa ligna quæ habent in semetipsis sementem generis sui, ut sint vobis in escam:
30
et cunctis animantibus terræ, omnique volucri cæli, et universis quæ moventur in terra, et in quibus est anima vivens, ut habeant ad vescendum. Et factum est ita.
31
Viditque Deus cuncta quæ fecerat: et erant valde bona. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies sextus.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4
God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
5
God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7
God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
8
God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9
God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
10
God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.
11
God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth;” and it was so.
12
The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
13
There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14
God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;
15
and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth;” and it was so.
16
God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
17
God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,
18
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
19
There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20
God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
21
God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.
22
God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23
There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24
God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so.
25
God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.
26
God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27
God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
28
God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29
God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
30
To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
31
God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
1
In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth--
2
the earth hath existed waste and void, and darkness <FI>is<Fi> on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God fluttering on the face of the waters,
3
and God saith, `Let light be;' and light is.
4
And God seeth the light that <FI>it is<Fi> good, and God separateth between the light and the darkness,
5
and God calleth to the light `Day,' and to the darkness He hath called `Night;' and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day one.
6
And God saith, `Let an expanse be in the midst of the waters, and let it be separating between waters and waters.'
7
And God maketh the expanse, and it separateth between the waters which <FI>are<Fi> under the expanse, and the waters which <FI>are<Fi> above the expanse: and it is so.
8
And God calleth to the expanse `Heavens;' and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day second.
9
And God saith, `Let the waters under the heavens be collected unto one place, and let the dry land be seen:' and it is so.
10
And God calleth to the dry land `Earth,' and to the collection of the waters He hath called `Seas;' and God seeth that <FI>it is<Fi> good.
11
And God saith, `Let the earth yield tender grass, herb sowing seed, fruit-tree (whose seed <FI>is<Fi> in itself) making fruit after its kind, on the earth:' and it is so.
12
And the earth bringeth forth tender grass, herb sowing seed after its kind, and tree making fruit (whose seed <FI>is<Fi> in itself) after its kind; and God seeth that <FI>it is<Fi> good;
13
and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day third.
14
And God saith, `Let luminaries be in the expanse of the heavens, to make a separation between the day and the night, then they have been for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years,
15
and they have been for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth:' and it is so.
16
And God maketh the two great luminaries, the great luminary for the rule of the day, and the small luminary--and the stars--for the rule of the night;
17
and God giveth them in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth,
18
and to rule over day and over night, and to make a separation between the light and the darkness; and God seeth that <FI>it is<Fi> good;
19
and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day fourth.
20
And God saith, `Let the waters teem with the teeming living creature, and fowl let fly on the earth on the face of the expanse of the heavens.'
21
And God prepareth the great monsters, and every living creature that is creeping, which the waters have teemed with, after their kind, and every fowl with wing, after its kind, and God seeth that <FI>it is<Fi> good.
22
And God blesseth them, saying, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and the fowl let multiply in the earth:'
23
and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day fifth.
24
And God saith, `Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind:' and it is so.
25
And God maketh the beast of the earth after its kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, and God seeth that <FI>it is<Fi> good.
26
And God saith, `Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that is creeping on the earth.'
27
And God prepareth the man in His image; in the image of God He prepared him, a male and a female He prepared them.
28
And God blesseth them, and God saith to them, `Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over fish of the sea, and over fowl of the heavens, and over every living thing that is creeping upon the earth.'
29
And God saith, `Lo, I have given to you every herb sowing seed, which <FI>is<Fi> upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in which <FI>is<Fi> the fruit of a tree sowing seed, to you it is for food;
30
and to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the heavens, and to every creeping thing on the earth, in which <FI>is<Fi> breath of life, every green herb <FI>is<Fi> for food:' and it is so.
31
And God seeth all that He hath done, and lo, very good; and there is an evening, and there is a morning--day the sixth.
Explanations by Age Level
Explain Like I'm 5
A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!
Explain Like I'm 10
Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.
Explain Like I'm 15
Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).